How do you debur and chamfer consistently on a budget?

[WVELK]

Trying to get opinions on whether one can reliably debur and chamfer consistently with hand tools?

 

[wapitibob]

If you're really good you might get 20 pcs within .005. The reality is, without an optical comparator you'll never know. I suspect .010" variance is fine.

 

[BBob]

What tolerance do you consider is "consistently"? How much do you think it matters? De-burr manually and carry on. FWIW I've de-burred manually for decades and it is what it is. If you're a high volume reloader go buy a machine but for the rest, do it manually if that's what you've got because one isn't going to be better than the other accuracy wise.

For outside I use a Forster hand crank spinner thingy with a Wilson (noted below) deburr tool in it and for inside I use a homemade aluminum handle holder thing with a carbide die grinding burr in it that I spin by hand.

 

[Dos XX]

Case Mouth Burring Tool | Precision Deburring | L.E. Wilson

 

[Marbles]

I don't think the difference matters.

Out of the list of things that probably don't matter and get worried about in reloading, this has to be near the most irrelevant. Unless you sell fance tools, then it really, super duper matters bunches.

 

[Dioni A]

I literally attach my de burring to a drill and do everything by hand hundreds of pieces at a time. I only do the inside. Don't over think it.

 

[Koda_]

Trying to get opinions on whether one can reliably debur and chamfer consistently with hand tools?

Yes.
All you need to do is break the edge. To be consistent just give a hand tool 1 or 2 turns and done.

 

[elephantrider]

Case Mouth Burring Tool | Precision Deburring | L.E. Wilson

^This tool

Yes.
All you need to do is break the edge. To be consistent just give a hand tool 1 or 2 turns and done.

^Used like this. Very minimal pressure to just break the sharp edges off.

 

[wyosam]

My multi step process.
1- Chuck chamfer tool in small drill press next to my bench and turn it on.
2-Briefly touch cases to spinning chamfer tool. 3-Repeat as needed.
4-Be glad I only actually do this for the few flat base bullets I load. Boat tails seem to find their way in and shoot just fine.
5-Reminisce about the period of my life where I obsessed over this sort of thing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eleven]

Your goal with chamfer/deburring is to just break the edge (as has been stated above) so that it doesn’t cut into a bullet while seating and to clean up any micro burrs on the outside of the neck. Its not to make a cookie cutter. We have a tendency to overthink things in reloading. No need to with deburring/chamfering.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I literally attach my de burring to a drill and do everything by hand hundreds of pieces at a time. I only do the inside. Don't over think it.

I do the same. Hasn't given me any issues in 20+ years. I think this is something that people really overthink.

 

[Dioni A]

I do the same. Hasn't given me any issues in 20+ years. I think this is something that people really overthink.

couldn't agree more! I don't even weigh powder charges for some of my loads. Never mess with seating depth. Somehow all my guns still shoot good. This is a 30 round group out of my 223. used a powder dropper, after getting it set I haven't measured a single one on a scale.

 

[HuntHarder]

rcbs prep center. A quick inside and outside seems to work quick for me. Maybe takes 10 minutes to do 100 rounds.

 

[waspocrew]

^^ same here, I use the RCBS case prep center. Very quick to knock out a lot of brass.

 

[Timberline001]

I’ve always done mine by hand with the tools mounted on my reloading bench. 3 twists and on to the next peice. Never had any difficulty finding accuracy. Don’t let it get complicated like everyone else said

 

[Harvey_NW]

I know you said on a budget, but getting a case prep station was one of the best investments I've made. I bought the Burstfire annealer with the case prep station to get more bang for the buck, and now it takes about 4 seconds per case to chamfer, deburr, and nylon brush necks.

 

[TaperPin]

Deburring, cleaning primer pockets, or even trimming to length with a handheld Lee trimmer, are some of the things that can be done sitting in front of the boob tube.

Even the cheapest chamfer tool can be sharpened a little and it will work as good as any expensive hand held model - the softer steel will dull faster, but don’t think inexpensive won’t work. VLD models with a more pointed taper require the least effort.

 

[WhoGarrDen]

Started with the Lyman handheld ($30). Couple hundred cases later I decided to pony up with a $10 drill converter for the pieces. Start with 2 boxes - one empty and one resized cases. Put on the deburr tool and debur them all over to the empty box, then swap attachments and chamfer on the way back too the original box. Zip tie or small clamp to get the drill at a slow speed and ride em out.




Edit: tip my 15yr old pointed out to me after I bitched about twisting the two-sided lyman tool and trying to keep it straight... unscrew the "body" and use it as a two smaller tools. Worked much better and easier to keep "consistent".